Interesting Article--Syringomyelia

[Guest guest]

An article caught my eye in the local paper here today. It was on the

front page and it's about a 9 yr. old girl named Ashlee that was

(finally) found to have Syringomyelia (cyst in her spinal canal).

Poor girl was only recently diagnosed after suffering from back and

stomach pain most of her life!! She was diagnosed after her legs

began giving out under her. A local doctor got on the internet to

diagnose her!! It's a good thing that doctor took the time to do

that, because most of the other doctors just told her it was growing

pains, and dismissed it. I remembered that a few on this site have SM

or a tethered cord, which Ashlee also found out she has, too.

(luckily she doesn't have scoliosis) She was airlifted to Stanford,

and I guess they've found a local doctor at Children's Hospital

Central Cal that can operate to de-tether the cord....a Dr. Meredith

Woodward. This Dr. Woodward said there are only about 8 doctors in

the whole country that can operate on this condition. They can't

cure the SM, but the de-tethering should help. They were saying that

the recovery for that surgery is only about 8 days. That seems awful

quick to me. But, she's also 9 yrs, old, too! I couldn't help but

think of Sharon and ie when I read this article.

Carol V.